Our People

Mark Kikel

President & Owner

Mark began his career in market research while obtaining his bachelor degree at Cleveland State University. His career began at national Market Measures in 1989, starting off as a telephone interviewer and working his way up to supervisor. In 1990, Mark started at Pat Henry Market Research, Inc. as an interviewer, working his way up to supervisor, and eventually to Vice President. Leaving in 1998 to start his own business, Opinions Ltd., Mark and his wife, Laura, started the business out of their home. Since then, they've expanded to various locations across the U.S., along with focus facilities, a phone center, off-site department, and online research panel. Mark lives in Chagrin Falls with his wife Laura, daughter Olivia, three dogs, three cats, turtles, and hamsters.

Chris Sluder

Vice President

Chris has been working in market research since 1999, working his way up the ranks to his current position. He began as a recruiter/interviewer for Cunningham Field & Research Services and was quickly promoted to supervisor of the location. After three years at Cunningham, Chris joined Opinions Ltd as a manager for a mall location. Eventually, he was promoted to Vice President and has helped expand the company by acquiring six new facilities. Primarily focused on data collection services, he has also focused on providing a strategic understanding of new package designs and offering analysis of consumer behavior and expectations. Chris resides in Chagrin Falls with his wife Danijela, and kids Mia, Luka, and Marko. He is also an avid aquarist, with two tanks of African Cichlids showcased at our corporate office. Chris graduated from University of Akron with two bachelor degrees in Marketing and Finance.

Iris Blaine

Executive Director

Iris works with the sales and marketing teams, creating initiatives, cultivating, building and maintaining relationships with potential new and existing clients. She has worked in the market research business for more than 17 years. She has held a number of different positions with Quick Test/Heakin during those 17 years. As a result she has experience in all aspects of qualitative and quantitative methodologies and project management as well as a complete knowledge of economic, powerful and valuable essential market research services and solutions to support, enhance and complete market research studies from start to finish.

Jason Mowry

Director of On-Site Services

Jason started with Opinions Ltd in 2001, working part-time as a mall interviewer while attending college full-time. Since then he has managed two of our mall facilities as well as our corporate phone center and focus facility. He also served as our Mall Operations Manager from 2006 through 2008. In his current role, Jason heads the Off-Site Interviewing Division - a nationwide network of interviewers who work remotely, collecting data in retail stores, restaurants, sporting events, as well as other venues.

Joan Lazar

Director of Client Services

Joan has more than 35 years of experience in marketing research, 19 years of which were as field director at The Research Firm, Inc., a market research supplier in White Plains, NY. Joan began her career as a field assistant at Guideline Research. From there, she moved on to become a Field Supervisor at General Foods Corp., where in addition to her responsibilities, she developed a Field Training Program and Field Supervisor’s Manual of Standards. In 2011, she joined Opinions Ltd as Director of Client Services. Joan is responsible for client relations, as well as managing large scale and multi-phase marketing research projects including creating a project implementation plan, managing project progress and troubleshooting to ensure successful completion. Joan has a B.A. and M.S. from Brooklyn College and is a member of the Marketing Research Association.

Patrick Sluder

Director of Facility Services

Patrick has been with Opinions Ltd since March 2005. Beginning his career as a location supervisor, Patrick quickly moved up the ranks providing a unique perspective from multiple angles. Patrick’s primary responsibility is to provide guidance and insight to our national mall locations. Patrick works closely with the Opinions Project Managers to ensure that each location understands the appropriate protocols, maintains the highest degree of integrity, and meets all client directives. Patrick graduated from the University of Akron in May 2010 with a degree in Human Resource Management and PPE- Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics.

Andris Jonas Dunduras

On-site Project Manager

Andris began his marketing research career in 1993 at Pat Henry Market Research Inc, where he met Mark Kikel- the future president of Opinions Ltd. Starting as a phone interviewer, he quickly became manager of the phone center and retail marketing division of Pat Henry. Andris moved to Opinions Ltd right after the formation of the company and has filled many different shoes since- management roles related to phone recruiting, specializing in low-incidence studies, and the research and supervision of special logistical issues. In his current role, Andris oversees the fielding, training, and supervision of projects in our growing off-site department. He holds a B.A. in History and Cultural Anthropology from Cleveland State University.

Anita Evans

Quality Assurance Manager

Anita joined Opinions Ltd in 2011 as Quality Assurance Manager. On a weekly basis, she reports validations to the corporate team. On a daily basis, she and her team conduct validations and tracks each location’s production per job, hours used and total sales. With this information, she can quickly determine a location’s error percentage and any sudden changes in daily and weekly sales. She works closely with the corporate team to determine and improve the quality of a location’s work and staff members. Her experience with quality assurance is also an asset to our offsite and other departments, where she edits and ships projects that need special attention.

Angel DiGiacomo

Client Services Manager

Angel began her career in market research while obtaining her bachelor's degree at St. Joseph's University. She began at JRP Marketing Research Services, Inc. in 1987, starting off as a mall intercept interviewer, working her way up to Project Manager and then quickly moving to assistant to the President/Owner. She continued her path through market research at the senior level working as a Project Director at TNS (Taylor Nelson Sofres) and NMI (Natural Marketing Institute). Angel has been employed with Opinions, Ltd since 2007, managing our Philadelphia office and has recently been promoted to Client Services Manager where she is responsible for client relations, managing project progress and troubleshooting to ensure successful completion.

Bonnie Ault

Operations Assistant

Bonnie started her career as a phone room dialer. Within 2 years she had grown through the ranks to become Manager of her own center in Iron Mt. Michigan. When the center was closed in 2008 she moved to CA and found Opinions LTD where she headed the Palm Desert office. Due to such a long drive, she left in 2011 and went to work for Heakin Research in El Cajon. She kept in contact with Mark and in 2013 heard he was opening a new office in the Portland area. Wanting a new challenge in her life and to get back with the “family” she requested to be hired again. Bonnie opened up Opinions in Vancouver Mall in 2013 and it grew feverishly. In Feb 2016 Bonnie was promoted to Assistant Operations Manager and is eager to work with all the malls to bring the quality and integrity of work Opinions LTD is noted for.

Kelly Morrison

Client Services Manager

Kelly has over 24 years’ experience beginning in the telephone centers at Maritz Marketing Research and Guideline Research Chicago. After completing her Bachelor’s degree at Lewis University, internship in the music industry, and MBA from Aurora University, Kelly found her way back to marketing research and joined Heakin Research as a Mall Supervisor. Over the next 18 years Kelly has worked her way up the ranks holding positions at Heakin Research, Quick Test/Heakin and 3Q Global as Field Support Manager, Project Manager and Senior Manager of Project Management. Kelly’s interaction and support to clients is unsurpassed by her industry knowledge. Kelly joined the Opinions LTD Team as Client Services Manager in May 2015 bringing along her expertise with out of the ordinary projects.

Paula Wynne

Client Services Manager

Paula began her market research career with Friedman Marketing in 1998 as a Client Service Representative. She moved into the Field and Tab Department and worked with internal, external, and end user clients. Her primary role there, as client liaison, included managing all aspects of the project from bidding through data file deliverables. She was then promoted to Director of Field and Tab and began building new client business, and managing and maintaining the client base. Paula worked for Friedman Marketing / GFK for 14 years until it closed down in February 2012. She joined the Opinions, Ltd. team in April 2012 as Client Services Manager. Paula graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, minor in Sociology at Queens College, and completed a few years of graduate work in School Psychology at Long Island University - Dobbs Ferry Campus.

Qasim Butt

Asst. Operations Manager

Qasim has more than 16 years of experience in Operations side of Market Research. He started his career in Market Research as a telephone interviewer with ICT Group in 1998. He rose in ranks at that company from an interviewer to Lead Supervisor, to Project Manager and finally to Assistant Director of Operations position, managing their Market Research Call Centers. In 2009 Qasim joined Friedman Marketing, managing their Mall Office location in Denver, CO. Qasim took over Opinions Buffalo location in 2013 and joined our Mall Operations Management team in 2015. In this role, he assists Mall Managers in their day-to-day operations and makes sure company policies and client protocols are being adhered. Qasim has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Network Technology.

Steve Michalec

Data Services Manager

Steve has been employed with Opinions Ltd since the beginning of 2005. Starting as supervisor at a mall location while attending the University of Akron, he has worked his way through many channels of the company into the corporate role he holds today. With experience as a manager at our malls, phone center and focus facility, manager of mall operations, IT manager, and quality control manager, he has gained insight and experience in almost all facets of the business. Currently holding a primary role as programmer of online surveys, he now enables Opinions Ltd to offer clients a variety of special needs such as custom programming, hosting, data entry, personalized data delivery, and top line reporting.

Tim Tauber

Operations Assistant

Tim began his market research career at the age of 16 starting as a mall interviewer, and eventually working his way up to supervisor and then assistant manager at a local research firm. Eager to advance further, Tim joined Opinions, Ltd in 2003 as a mall manager. After finishing college and gaining valuable experience, Tim decided to pursue his dream of being an entrepreneur and launched his very own market research company in late 2005. In May of 2012 Opinions, Ltd took over Tim’s former company and Tim came on board as a location manager. Over the past few years he has dabbled in some different roles before landing as an Operations Assistant in 2016. Tim holds a degree in Business Administration from Mercyhurst University and resides in Erie, PA with his wife Amy, and two daughters.

Featured Location

Colorado Mills Mall

Denver, CO

With the front range looming just outside the backdoor, our Denver facility at Colorado Mills Mall offers more than just the mountainous scenery. Being located in the largest Denver area mall, we are ready to conduct interviewing for any type of client. Our usable space can easily accommodate multiple complexities for our clients. Enjoy the mountain air and know that your work is being done right in one of the fastest growing Metro areas in the United States. READ MORE

Employee Spotlight

Jason Mowry

Director of On-Site Services

Jason has been with Opinions LTD since 2011 where he began a part-time mall interviewer while attending college full-time. Since his start with us he has managed two of all mall facilities and eventually worked his way up to work in the corporate phone center and focus facility then onto Mall Operations Manager. Currently, Jason is head of our Off-Site Interviewing Division. READ MORE